Ethiopian Airlines enters into aircraft interiors market
Ethiopian Airlines Group will set up a facility in Ethiopia that will manufacture and supply aircraft seat covers, safety belts, carpets and many other interior parts to ACM Aerospace of Germany as part of the company’s line of production.
July 09, 2018: Ethiopian Airlines Group will set up a facility in Ethiopia that will manufacture and supply aircraft seat covers, safety belts, carpets and many other interior parts to ACM Aerospace of Germany as part of the company’s line of production.
Ergo, the biggest African airline group has signed a partnership business agreement with European aerospace manufacturing company pursuant to the aerospace manufacturing development programme it has embarked on.
The facility will have the EASA part 21G certified Production facility (POA) certification which is a core requirement to be met in the industry.
Aircraft seat covers, carpets and other cabin interior parts are manufactured from special fabric and leather materials that are certified and meet the strictest requirements set by aviation regulators such as EASA and FAA for use on an aircraft.
Initially, the facility will manufacture the above products by importing such raw materials. However, it will shortly have the capability to certify the leather and fabrics that are produced in Ethiopia and use them in the production process thereby supporting the textile and leather manufacturing industries of the country. The facility will generate a considerable amount of forex and create a job opportunity for more than 100 individuals.
Tewolde GebreMariam, Group CEO of Ethiopian Airlines remarked “pursuant to our government’s industrialisation policy embedded in the five years Growth and Transformation Plan (GTPII), we are working in partnership with Aircraft manufacturers and other Aerospace suppliers to establish and develop labour-intensive aerospace manufacturing industry with a wide portfolio of products. The partnership agreement we signed with ACM Aerospace is a big milestone in this regard and will surely create significant job opportunities for the young, educated task force and will support and synergize with the textile and leather manufacturing industries being developed in the country”.
Arash Noshari, managing director of ACM aerospace said: “I’m very proud to cooperate on a high quality level with the largest carrier in Africa and I'm pretty sure this is a great step into the future.”